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A new book on melatonin is out, here is the press release. MARINA DEL REY, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug. 4, 1995--More than 40 million Americans suffer from insomnia, and until recently their only choice was to pop prescription sleepingpills or risk another restless night of tossing and turning. What if there were a natural supplement that,in addition to providing a deep sleep, would be safe? According to Ray Sahelian, M.D., author of "Melatonin: Nature's Sleeping Pill," that possibility now exists. Since 1993, melatonin has been available without a prescription. Melatonin is a chemical that the pineal gland, a pea-sized gland located in the brain, produces each night to help us sleep. Children produce a large amount, while the elderly produce little. Melatonin levels decrease with aging, and this may explain why insomnia in the elderly is common. Much laboratory research is available on melatonin, but few clinical studies have been done. Recently, Sahelian, a family physician from Marina del Rey, conducted surveys of 200 melatoninusers nationwide and found that four out of five consider melatonin to be beneficial in maintaining deep sleep. "The most common unexpected effect that I discovered was enhanced dreams," reported Sahelian. "About two-thirds of users noted dreams to be vivid, pleasant and almost real. Ten percent of theseindividuals reported having had a nightmare. Melatonin may be our `Dream Molecule.' "Based on my clinical observations, surveys and review of scientific literature, there is convincing evidence to support the occasional use of melatonin for insomnia and jet lag," Sahelian said. "It's an excellent alternative to prescription sleeping pills." Throughout "Melatonin: Nature's Sleeping Pill," Sahelian carefully examines the latest research reporting the merits, uncertainties and shortcomings of melatonin. He includes case histories, gives a comprehensive explanation of how we sleep and provides 20 useful tips for sound sleep. The book also includes a discussion of melatonin's possible role as an anti-aging hormone. (Be Happier Press, P.O. Box 12619, Marina del Rey, Calif. 90295, $13.95 plus $3.50 shipping. Also available from all bookstores nationwide or by calling 800/507-BOOK.) Sahelian is a graduate of Thomas Jefferson Medical School in Philadelphia, and is certified by the American Board of Family Practice. He has been interviewed by hundreds of radio stations andrecently on TV's "A Current Affair," and has been quoted in Newsweek. John Cottingham "KNOWLEDGE is of two kinds: we know [log in to unmask] a subject, or we know where we can OR find information upon it." [log in to unmask] Dr. Samuel Johnson